


Long Ride Home

by spaladin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: College AU, Cute, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I sure like writing fics where they bond on moving vehicles dont I?, M/M, No Angst, Shadam, Train AU, adashi, its all cute i promise, klance, not at this stage anyway, will update the tags once I'm done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-06-19 17:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15515127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaladin/pseuds/spaladin
Summary: Keith has always hated his commute to college everyday. It's boring and depressing and he's learnt to expect nothing from it. Not until an encounter with a clumsy boy in blue who grabs his attention instantly, but Keith couldn't explain why. All he knows is that his train journeys won't be the same now the boy in blue is a part of them.





	1. The Boy in Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I've had for a while and I don't think it will be very long - just some cute fluff to keep y'all fed until the new season comes! (Which is very soon ahhhh!) Please give me feedback at the end, I'd be interested to know if anyone is intrigued by this first chapter and concept :) Thank you! Enjoy! x

There had to be a law, somewhere, that stated all train journeys were expected to be the most boring and most time-consuming part of anyone’s day. At least, they were to Keith. From day one, the subway to and from college had been a mind-numbingly tedious experience that drew all the pleasure from the day into its dark, damp tunnels. If it was sunny outside, the subway killed it. If it was raining, the subway took all romance from that too, opting instead for a damp, lingering smell of mildew and metal. Today was no different… at first.

Day 1

It had been a long day. Longer than most, Keith thought, as he stepped onto his train and tucked himself into the corner by the opposite door. He didn’t sit. If he did, he might fall asleep… he was so exhausted.  
As the warning beep sounded, alerting passengers that the doors were closing, a flurry of blue flew into the carriage, catching his hood in the door as it eased shut behind him. The teenager the hoodie was attached to was yanked back and slammed against the door, thwacking his head hard against it.  
The doors reopened at the intrusion, and Keith stared.  
The boy in question had donned a bright red blush and gracelessly scurried away from the door he’d been caught in to stand opposite Keith with his head bowed as the passengers around them tutted and shook their heads. Other students on the train laughed.  
“Jeez…” The boy muttered, frowning at his feet as he rubbed the back of his head. He glanced up and caught Keith’s eye. “That was awkward, huh?” He said.  
The boy’s eyes were bright blue, and his skin was a dark shade of caramel. Keith wasn’t sure why this struck him, but it did. He blinked, and nodded slowly in response, before replacing his earphones to silence the world.  
The boy looked away, blushing harder, and folded his arms.  
Keith thought that maybe he should have said something nicer – said anything at all in fact. Or not. He wasn’t the best at… talking to people. Especially people he didn’t know well.  
The boy got off at the stop before Keith’s, scuttling off the train as fast as he could, clearly still stung from the incident. Keith smirked. It had actually been pretty funny.

Day 2

Keith had pretty much forgotten about the whole thing until he boarded the train home again the next day, and he was hit with the mental image of a boy with dark skin and blue eyes – and then the image was real, because that same boy was boarding the same train as he was. The same carriage. Keith had to check himself. He wasn’t imagining things, was he? He was pretty tired, after all…  
He took his usual spot in the corner, one wary eye on the boy who had bravely decided to stand next to the door that had almost crushed him yesterday. He was jittery; his hands were in the pockets of his blue hoodie and he scuffed his shoes on the floor. He caught Keith’s eye, and a glint of recognition followed before they both looked away. Keith turned on his music and faced his own, sallow reflection in the window beside him which was all black. Always black. The tunnel was dark and unforgiving and so was the rest of the journey, but there was a shadow of blue in the peripheral of Keith’s dark reflection. A bolt of colour in the wasteland of boredom and monotony. It was something to look at, anyway.

Day 3

This time, when blue-hoodie boy boarded the train, Keith wasn’t surprised in the least. The boy was standing next to a dark-skinned girl with a tumble of silver hair. Perhaps that was his girlfriend, Keith thought. But they weren’t talking. The boy was staring intently at the girl’s back as she faced away from him with a deep frown carved into his sharp features. What was he looking at? It was impossible to tell. Unless he was checking out her ass. Keith snorted inwardly. He was probably right. He wasn’t sure why he’d got it into his head that this guy might somehow be something other than the normative brand of jerk he was used to seeing around. And he looked about the same age as Keith – and as Keith knew, all that most guys his age were concerned with was running around and losing their heads and their grades over impressing girls way out of their league. This was probably one of those situations. But blue-hoodie boy didn’t have the determined expression of a boy on a mission to pull. It was more like… concern? Keith shook his head and faced his black mirror of a window again. He was thinking into it too deeply. These journeys were seriously driving him crazy. He did note, however, that the silver-haired girl got off the train one stop earlier than blue-hoodie boy did. And blue hoodie boy got off with her, running after her like… well, exactly like Keith expected. He’d been right after all.

Day 4

This time, Blue hoodie-boy was on the train in the _morning_ too. Then, on the way back later that day, he spent the entire journey playing candy crush on his phone. Silver-haired girl wasn’t with him. Huh. Maybe he got rejected.

Day 5

Keith realised he’d forgotten what blue-hoodie boy’s voice sounded like, and he cursed himself for not paying close attention the first time. He watched the blue reflection in the window again and wondered again whether he’d been interested in silver-haired girl.

Day 6

Blue-hoodie boy was staring at Keith. Openly. Staring. Right at him. Keith pretended not to see him and flicked aimlessly through songs on his phone, but his face was burning up; he was constantly aware of the boy’s eyes on him. Right before the stop he knew blue-hoodie boy got off at, he gathered the courage to glance upward and meet the boy’s intrusive eyes. It must have dawned on him he’d been caught out, for the next moment, blue-hoodie boy sucked in a breath and turned sharply away from Keith. It was such an obvious movement, Keith thought. This guy didn’t have an ounce of subtlety, did he? Self-consciously, Keith checked his reflection in the window. There was nothing on his face that he could see – no pen-mark or food attached to his chin or oddly placed stray hair. He was like always. But blue-hoodie boy sneaked another peek at Keith before leaping off the train with the kind of overactive agility Keith could only imagine a five-year-old employing and bolting towards the platform exit. Weird. Keith thought about it the rest of the journey home. He fell asleep thinking about it. And, when Blue-hoodie boy didn't board the train the next morning, he spent the whole of the next day wondering if he'd be there on the way home.


	2. His Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... as with everything I do, this will probably be longer than I planned! But we'll see. Who knows at this point. Either way, I AM going to finish it so that's a plus. Please feel free to leave feedback, it lights my way in the dark xx  
> Enjoy!

Day 7

 

It had been a week since Keith had spotted blue-hoodie boy, and today he learnt his name. 

When classes were over, Blue boy boarded the train with silver-haired girl and the two began talking. As stealthily as he could, Keith removed one of his earphones to listen in, making sure to adamantly stare at the black reflective window so he could follow the movement of their mouths.

“…thanks for the other day. It would have been so embarrassing otherwise.”

The boy laughed. “No worries! I’d want someone to tell _me_.”

Keith frowned. What were they talking about?

“Didn’t you miss your stop though?”

“Nah, I just waited for the next train. It’s cool.”

The girl laughed. “Well, it was terribly nice of you.” The girl had a British accent.

“What was your name again?” Asked the boy.

“Oh! It’s Allura. Sorry, I should have said. And you? Was it… Laurence?”

“No. It’s Lance.”

 _Lance_.

Keith thought about that. The first thing he pictured was a long pole – the type knights used to joust with in medieval times. Or maybe they only did that in movies. He wouldn’t know.

…Lance.

That night, Keith wrote it down so he wouldn’t forget. Then he immediately crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. That was stupid. He was being stupid. It was just some boy on the train. Some boy on the train named Lance.

 

Day 8

 

Keith was beginning to wonder why he'd only seen Lance once in the morning. Again, he wasn't there until after college, and this time he boarded the train alone. And he was looking at Keith again. Not as obviously, just glances – little and often – but it was enough to be unnerving.

Drawing in a deep breath, Keith faced him.

“Caaaaan I help you?” He asked, his voice edged. He hadn’t meant to sound so sarcastic. Lance blinked in surprise and opened his mouth a couple of times before replying,

“U-uh, well – don’t you recognise me?”

Yes. I do recognise you. I’ve been getting the same train as you for a week now. But Keith didn’t say that.

“’Fraid not.” Said Keith.

Lance frowned. “Oh. Are – are you sure?”

Keith nearly laughed. How could he _not_ be sure? “I’m sure.” He confirmed.

Lance looked disappointed and he turned away, folding his arms.

Oh no. Had he said something wrong?

“Sorry.” Keith added after a silence that stretched on for too long. The train continued to chug its sluggish dark path in the background and Lance shrugged nonchalantly, studying his nails.

“It’s cool, man. My mistake.” He said, clearly put off.

Keith sighed. _Dammit_. This was why he didn’t talk to people. He thought about saying something else, but Lance’s stop was coming up, so he didn’t have time. The seconds ticked by, the opportunity to speak slipping through his fingers… he let it go. And Lance got off the train without another look.

This was why Keith didn’t talk to people.

 

Day 9

 

Today, Keith avoided looking at Lance at all. And Lance avoided looking at him. It was worse because Lance was there for _both_ journeys. They were strangers again. So why had Lance thought he’d known him? 

 

Day 10

 

Lance laughed when a cute dog boarded the train and licked his shoes. Keith thought his laugh was much cuter than the dog.

 

Day 11

 

Allura, the silver-haired girl, was with Lance again. She was chatting merrily about her day and her plans to have a party. She invited Lance to go too but he said that he was busy that night with his family. He didn’t elaborate. Keith wished he would. He wanted to… know more. Was he just making an excuse because he didn’t want to go? Or was he genuinely busy? Keith was the type to make excuses. Maybe Lance wasn’t. He seemed like the extroverted sort…

“Do you know that guy?” Said Allura in a low voice.

Keith kept his head bowed, but every muscle in his body tensed on high alert. Did she mean _him_?

“Huh - ? Uh – what, him? Oh… not really.”

“Oh. You keep looking at him.”

Keith’s heart was racing in his chest. Lance was looking at him? Were they even _talking_ about him? He couldn’t be sure. He risked a glance upward and met both of their eyes. They both turned away at the same time.

 _Dammit_. Would he have to get on a different carriage from now on? No, he decided. If they were going to make things uncomfortable, _they_ were the ones who’d have to move. He was here first. By a _longshot_.

Keith made a point of sighing heavily. The carriage was deadly silent. Allura got off first. Then Lance was left, scuffing his feet and biting his lip. He seemed nervous. Or _caught out_. _That’s right,_ thought Keith, _I’m not dumb. I heard you talking about me._

Lance ran off the train again and pelted towards the exit. Someone ought to tell him he’d trip and fall one day.

 

Day 12

 

Lance wasn’t on the train today. Keith had forgotten how boring this journey had been, and found that now he had nothing blue to stare at in the window’s reflection, he was left feeling emptier than ever.

 

Day 13

 

Surely it wasn’t natural to be so elated at the sight of a stranger, but Keith was. His mouth went dry at the sight of a blue hoodie boarding the train and Lance’s messy brown hair. This wasn’t right. This was… weird. Even for him. Keith liked people watching, sure, but seeing the same person over and over had never induced this reaction from him before.

Every part of him was aware of Lance, stood in his usual spot opposite the isle, next to the door. They’d probably never talk again. Keith should have pretended to recognise him – he should have said something like, _wait, maybe I do know you._ Or just… asked. But he’d blown it. Typical.

Keith’s thoughts were interrupted by a clang over-head and an ominous sounding screech as the train halted on its tracks. Then all the lights went out.

Gasps ensued. Concerned chattering, but above it all (or maybe Keith’s ears simply tuned into it) were the panicked pants of the passenger closest to him. No one else was close by, so perhaps they didn’t hear, but that was _definitely_ Lance. He was talking too – chattering under his breath.

_“Oh, god… no… no, oh, god…”_

The guy was really going off.

Before he could think about what he was doing, Keith blindly lunged in the dark and found Lance’s shoulder. The boy lurched in surprise and started gasping harder.

“Hey,” Said Keith softly, “Calm down, it’s just me.” _As if he’d know who he was_. “I-it’s the guy you talked to the other day, remember? You’re Lance, right?”

“Y-Yeah… yeah…” Gasped Lance, “S-sorry. I just – I hate – This is my worst nightmare.”

Jeez. He sounded like he was sobbing – or close to it at least.

“It’s okay.” Said Keith. “You’re okay.” He was terrible at consoling people. He shouldn’t be allowed to do this. But there was no one else.

Lance had slid to the floor in his panic and Keith knelt beside him. He couldn’t see anything, but from what he could feel, the boy was shaking.

Lance grasped Keith’s extended arm and clung to it.

“I’m sorry…” He muttered, “I’m sorry, I just need to” –

-“It’s fine.” Keith reassured, “Do whatever you need to do. This’ll be over soon.”

And then, in the pitch darkness, Lance pressed forward and threw his arms around Keith’s neck, burying his face into his shoulder. Keith froze, one hand lightly touching Lance’s back, the other curled into a fist on the floor by his knee. _Holy hell._ What the – how the – _what –_ ?

“Uh…” He stammered, “A-are you alright?”

God, he was dumb. Obviously, he wasn’t fine.

If Lance had heard him, he didn’t show any indication of it. He just held onto Keith like a sloth to a branch. It was funny how seconds ago he’d been thinking he’d never get to interact with Lance again. Now here he was, cradling him in his arms. Life was crazy.

The shaking had stopped. There was a heated spot on Keith’s shoulder where Lance was breathing heavily through the fabric of his jacket. Keith patted his back.

“See? Everything’s good.”

It was as though the train had heard him. The lights flickered on with an electric buzz overhead.

“Lance!” Said Keith, “The lights are on. You can look now.”

Slowly, Lance peeled his face from Keith’s shoulder, and gazed straight at him, his blue eyes as round as saucers.

They must have been a picture. Keith couldn’t help but imagine how this must look to everyone else on the train, and tried desperately to ignore the people staring at them from his peripherals.

Lance’s face was sheened with sweat and tendrils of hair stuck to his forehead, his eyebrows knotted closely together with the dread that remained.

“Are we moving?” He asked, his voice quaking.

“Not yet.” Said Keith. Their faces were too close for two people who didn’t know each other, but Keith didn’t dare move. It wasn’t Lance’s fault. He’d panicked. He probably wasn’t even aware of what he’d done.

“Oh my god.” Lance breathed in horror, unwinding his arms from around Keith’s neck and falling backward, landing on his palms. “I’m _so sorry,_ I”-

Keith smiled. “Don’t apologise. It’s okay.”

Lance didn’t look convinced. On shaky legs, he stood, grasping the rail for support. Keith placed a hand underneath Lance’s elbow to help him.

Well… at least they were talking now.

Lance stared at the isle, his face aghast with blind humiliation.

“It’s really fine.” Said Keith honestly.

Lance shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t believe… I mean that’s just the worst timing… I-I have claustrophobia, that’s why” –

-“You don’t need to explain.”

Something in Keith’s voice must have worked, because Lance looked at him, offering a small, shy smile.

“Thanks.” He said. “Thanks for err…”

“No problem.” Said Keith, saving him the trouble.

They sat down for Lance’s sake, side by side, and the train driver explained they’d experienced a ‘mild technical issue’ to which Lance scoffed.

“ _Mild,_ yeah, right. Complete blackout is _not_ mild.”

Keith wanted to say he’d experienced this kind of thing so many times before he didn’t even bat an eye. But he didn’t. He sensed Lance needed to be angry with the train.

“So… for someone with a phobia of cramped dark spaces, what are you doing on the subway?”

Lance grimaced. “It’s not by choice, believe me. I don’t have my car right now so I had to find another way of getting to and from college.”

“What about the bus?” Suggested Keith.

Lance shrugged. “Subway is cheaper.”

Keith didn’t pry. “Right. Makes sense.” They were moving again. “Are you feeling better?”

Lance rubbed the back of his head self-consciously and stretched his legs out ahead of him.

“Yeah… I think so… thanks. Sorry for going totally crazy back there. It really did a number on me.”

Keith wasn’t about to admit it, but Lance had done a number on _him_.

He shrugged it off though.

“Nah. I’ve seen worse.”

Lance grinned. “Well that’s comforting.” He said sarcastically.

_Keep this up, Keith… don’t screw it up… he’s actually talking to you…_

“So…have you always… been scared of – of trains?” _Oh, look. You screwed it up._ He hoped Lance didn’t see the blush rising from his neck to his face.

“Yup.” Lance replied, as though Keith hadn’t said anything lame at all. “Always. They just freak me out, you know? I thought I could get over it. I thought, _hey, I’m a big boy now!_ Next thing I know I’m crying on a dude’s shoulder – that dude being you… obviously. Pathetic, huh?”

Keith shook his head. “It’s not pathetic.”

Lance raised a sceptical brow. “Not even a little?”

Keith smirked. “Okay, maybe a little. But don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Lance laughed. “I’m waaaaay ahead of you there, buddy…”

A silence fell, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of the train and Keith’s thoughts spinning madly around in his head. He didn’t believe in fate, but he found it strange that the moment he’d desperately wanted to talk to this guy, the universe had presented him with the perfect opportunity – literally thrown it in his lap.

“So… how’d you know my name, huh?” Asked Lance.

 _Damn_. “Erm – I – I heard you say it to that girl who gets this train sometimes.” Said Keith honestly. He wasn’t doing a good job of sounding nonchalant about it.

Lance’s expression was a strange one, but only for a second.

“Ah, I see. Soooo… you were eavesdropping?” He teased.

“No!” Keith protested, “You were stood right next to me!”

“I know, I was joking!” Lance laughed, “Chill, it’s cool.”

Keith deflated. God, he was so dumb.

Lance leapt up as the train screeched to a halt at his stop. Was it that time already? Christ.

“Thanks again for everything. See you around, dude.”

Keith stood too. “Wait!” He said as the doors opened, “My name… it’s Keith.”

Lance glanced over his shoulder as he stepped off the train with his hands in his pockets.

“I know.” He said with a grin.

“How…?”

But the doors were shut.

Now he only had tomorrow.


	3. Friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YIKES SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO DO ANOTHER CHAPTER!!  
> After S7 and the whirlwind of emotions with that, this sort of went on the back-burner so I could start a fix-it fic. Which is going well! But then I was missing writing harmless cuteness and wanted to go back to this baby so here we are! I hope you can forgive me for being so late and enjoy this hahaha x

Day 14

 

By now, Keith was so used to dismissing morning commutes as 'the time when Lance  _didn't_ get the train' that he was very surprised when he spotted a Blue hoodie boarding the same carriage he was on at one of the stops. He blinked. It was Lance alright. It turned out, Lance was one of _those_ guys. And by 'those guys,' Keith meant the kind of guy who could pick up a conversation right where it left off. 

"Yo! Mornin', Keith!" Lance yelled across the train at Keith once he got on, turning more than a few heads. Keith stared, still slightly convinced he was hallucinating.

Lance blinked. "Anyone in there?"

"Ah - sorry," Keith yawned, "I'm slow in the morning." 

Lance scratched his head, "Oh, I hear that. I could sleep all day if I wanted."

Keith doubted that very much. Lance was as energetic as always, like there were springs in his legs. And then he started talking to Keith about normal stuff - college lunches, his sisters teasing him for panicking during the blackout, some douchebag on the platform who made him drop his bag... he was talking to Keith like they were friends. Which was great and all, but... weird. Keith was so used to thinking of Lance as this mysterious object of his attention, that it was strange to be getting attention  _from_ him. 

"Oh!" Said Lance suddenly, "You'll meet Allura tonight. She gets the subway two days a week, so." 

Keith couldn't explain the lurch of discomfort he felt at the thought, but he nodded. "Cool."

"Yeah, she  _is_ cool." Said Lance. Keith didn't bother to say that wasn't what he'd meant. "She's in the debating society." 

"I see." Quick, thought Keith, change the subject. "You hardly ever get the train in the morning, right?" 

"Oh, you noticed?" Lance laughed. "Yeah that's 'cause I'm lazy and always late. This is one of the only times I've managed to get my ass into gear."

Yeah. Keith remembered the only other time well. He remembered  _every_ time he'd seen Lance. 

He gave a small laugh. "Figures." 

"Hey!" Said Lance, feigning offense, "it's worth it for the ten minutes of extra sleep I get. So what's your major?" 

"Oh - uh - Literature." 

Lance raised a brow. "Really? Shakespeare and all that stuff? Huh. Who'd have thought?" 

Keith frowned. "Why is that surprising?" 

"Oh! I didn't mean it in a bad way, you just give off kind of an... emo...jock... kind of vibe." 

Keith stared. "What." 

"Ah, jeez," Lance scratched his head, "I'm not helping myself out here, am I? I didn't mean - ah - you know?" 

Keith didn't know, but he offered Lance a small smile. "Says the guy who's been wearing the same hoodie for two weeks." 

Lance folded his arms. "Actually I have two of the same, so your point is invalid." 

"My point still stands." Keith argued, though they were both smiling at each other. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation with someone this long that wasn't his brother. "So what's  _your_ major?" 

Lance pulled a hand through his hair. "Communications." He said proudly. 

Made sense. But Keith didn't say that. He just nodded. 

Keith and Lance walked all the way to college together. When the time came to part, they awkwardly stood opposite each other, hands in pockets.

"So... I'll see you on the train tonight, I guess?" Said Lance.

"Guess I will." Keith agreed. "Later." 

"Later, Keith." 

Hearing Lance say his name so casually like that made his stomach flutter. He shook off the feeling as he walked to class. 

At lunch, he got a text from his brother.

_Shiro: Hey Keith, sorry to be a bother. Could you pick Cosmo up from Adam's place tonight? I'm working late so I can't get him_

Keith sighed. So much for seeing Lance tonight... he'd see him tomorrow. Why was this even a problem? He was just a new friend. He'd deal without him. 

_Keith: Sure thing. You guys need to hurry up and move in together already._

_Shiro: We're working on it. Promise._

Keith had never felt mad about having not to see a person before. Usually, he was glad to be alone. But this time he felt... low. That night, he felt guilty as he boarded a different train to Adam's house. He wished there was a way he could let Lance know he wasn't going to be on the train. But it wasn't a big deal. It was unlikely Lance would care that much. He had Allura, after all, his incredibly pretty companion for the ride. Keith resented himself for resenting her. He didn't even  _know_ her. Guilt after guilt after guilt. What was happening to him? 

Adam's apartment was tiny, and it was a miracle he'd managed to keep it tidy with Cosmo bouncing around, the oversized husky he was. As soon as Adam opened the door to Keith, he was bombarded by huge paws and a face full of fur. 

"Hey, boy." He laughed, buckling under the weight of Cosmo jumping up at him. 

"Hi, Keith." Said Adam, "Want some tea before you head out?" 

"Yeah, sure." Said Keith, "Are you coming to our place?" 

Adam huffed, pushing up his glasses as he gathered papers on his desk. "I wish I could, but Takashi already warned me he was overloaded with work."

"That's too bad," Said Keith. And then, playfully, "He misses you." 

Adam rolled his eyes in an attempt to conceal the blush that had warmed his face. "Sure, he does. What he  _really_ misses is having someone to cook for him. I hope you're taking care of him until I can come and make you all dinner again." 

Keith scoffed. "Are you kidding? Take-outs are his best friend. He'd kill me for telling you that." 

Adam was one of the few people Keith felt comfortable around. They could talk about almost anything. Almost. Before Keith left, Adam stopped him at the door. 

"Hey, Keith. You good?" He asked.

Keith blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why?" 

Adam gave him a strange smile. "I dunno... you just seem different today, that's all. I can't tell  _what_ kind of different, but there's something going on behind those eyes." 

Keith averted his gaze. "Uh, sure. Anyways, I'll be off. Later, Adam." 

Leading a bounding Cosmo home as best he could, Keith thought about what Adam had said all the way home. So he wasn't just feeling different on the inside. It was there. Real. External. A noticeable change. Damn. He could lie and laugh it off as much as he wanted, but a dull spread of nerves inside him told him  _exactly_ what was up, because whenever he thought about him, the feeling intensified. He was falling for the boy on the train. He was falling for Lance.

 


	4. Him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm really enjoying this. It's been a while since I've done anything cute and 90% angst free (except for the fun angst that comes with falling in love). Thank you again for your comments, they bring me life amigos :) Also for anyone reading my S7 fix it fic, I hope y'all don't hate me for the terrible thing I did lol, if you need faith restoring that I'm not just a sadist to my characters, come here and read this instead.  
> Anyways I'm gonna stop rambling now, please enjoy! :D xx

Day 15

Somehow, Keith felt more nervous than he ever had as he made his way down to the platform the next morning. It had been a whole weekend since Keith had seen Lance, but it felt like an age. And there was the fact he'd skipped out on seeing him and his friend on the train that Friday evening. He'd spent the weekend catching up on assignments and cooking meals for Shiro. Keith had been itching to tell his brother about Lance, but he was overworked as it was. He didn't want to overload him with his dumb crush that would probably come to nothing.

As it was, Keith bottled out when he reached the platform. The idea of seeing Lance again turned his stomach in knots. He waited for the later train, hating himself every second.

"Why am I such a moron?" He muttered to himself on the platform, earning a few strange looks. But he really didn't care. The train at this time was always busier, and he coughed at the first mouthful of sweaty, humid air that came as a result of two many bodies pressed into a tin capsule hurtling along a dark tunnel at tremendous speeds. When Keith thought of it like that, he could see why Lance was scared of being on these things. 

As the train rolled up at Lance's usual stop, Keith's breath quickened, and he searched for any hint of sky blue as the doors opened. When none came, his heart fell, and he waited until the train began to draw out of the station.

Oh.

Now that his plan had worked, he felt... disappointed. And empty again. Seething at his cowardice, Keith stared out of the train window at the black tunnel, berating himself.

He spent the entire day regretting his decision to flake on his new friend, so when the time came to board the train that evening, he bolted to the station, intent on not missing him this time. And there he was.

Him.

The back of his mussy head. Lance, his blue hoodie tied around his waist, wearing a simple white t-shirt and classic blue jeans. Keith blinked. He'd never seen Lance's arms before. The colour of his skin contrasted harmoniously with the pastel blue of his hoodie, and Keith was struck with bewilderment; he didn't know how a boy like that could exist. 

Taking deep, shaky breaths, Keith approached Lance from behind to come stand by him. Lance was zoned out, his blue eyes far away and fixed on a poster advertising whiskey opposite him, earbuds blasting something obnoxious sounding. 

Keith waited. Should he say something? Should he? - 

Lance turned and jumped out of his skin. 

"Wha - Keith!"

"Uh. Um. Hi." Said Keith. 

Lance gazed at him, earbuds falling out. "Jeez, man, you scared me!" He laughed. 

"Sorry," Said Keith, "I mean... your music was pretty loud, so..." 

Lance stopped, raised a brow. "Ah, so it's  _my_ fault you snuck up on me like that?" He frowned. "Hey, are you okay? You look pretty pale."

Keith folded his arms, glancing away. "I'm fine."

"Are you sick? Is that why you weren't here on Friday or this morning?" 

Keith tried to steady his breathing. He was flushed and sweating. He'd never been like this before. "N-no." 

Without so much as a blink, Lance stepped forward and gently placed his palm on Keith's forehead.  _WHAT THE -_

"Woah." He said, "Your temperature is through the roof. You're definitely running a fever, man." 

Keith's mouth was dry.  _It's not that,_ he thought,  _it's you. It's all you._

The train was rolling in. Keith stepped in front of Lance to hurry on and find his usual spot in the corner. Lance stood opposite him, concerned. 

"A-are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I'm just... a hot person."  _God. No. What?_

Lance smirked. 

"I mean - jeez - that's not what I meant. You know what I mean." Keith stuttered. Why was he like this?

"Yeah," Said Lance slowly, that sickeningly smug expression stuck on his too-good features, "I know what you mean." 

The silence that followed was unbearable. Was Lance finding this awkward too? Or was it just Keith, because he was experiencing every stomach turning emotion that passed through him whenever he caught a glimpse of any of Lance? 

Keith kept his eyes fixed on the grimy train floor. Lance's shoes weren't so triggering. They were nice, actually. They looked fairly new, with blue stripes on them... damn it. Even his shoes were making him anxious. 

"Hey, so..." Lance began.

Keith whipped his head up. "Yeah?" Why did his voice sound like that? All dry and low and gross? 

"Why don't we swap numbers?" Said Lance with a smile. 

Keith schooled his expression, because he was in serious danger of his jaw dropping and hitting Lance's cute shoes. 

"Numbers? Err... okay." 

Lance shrugged. "Only, I was wondering where you were Friday. Allura was disappointed she didn't get to meet you, man." 

"Ah," Keith laughed. Of course. Allura. "Sorry about that, I had to pick my dog up from my friend's house." It was too hard to explain who Adam was to him at this point. 

Lance's eyes lit up. "You have a dog?" 

"Yeah!" 

"OhmygodIlovedogs." Said Lance in one breath. God... he was adorable. "What kind? Boy or girl?" 

"Oh - uh, he's a Husky. He's called Cosmo." 

"Cosmo..." Lance repeated, as if he'd just learnt the meaning of life. "Got any pictures? C'mon, lemme see. I'll put my number in your phone too." 

Keith only had four pictures of Cosmo. One from when he was born, two from a day at the park two summers ago, and one of Adam and Shiro kneeling next to him at their engagement party. That one was Keith's favourite. 

Keith was afraid Lance might cry at the puppy photos, he reacted so... aggressively. He flicked through the others with sparkling enthusiasm. 

"Hey, who are these guys?" Asked Lance. 

Keith had never shared so much of himself with another person before. Especially not one he'd only just met basically. This was weird. 

"That's my brother, Shiro. And that's his fiancé, Adam. He's the guy I picked Cosmo up from the other day." 

Moment of truth, Keith thought. If this guy is homophobic, now is when it will come out...

"Aww," Said Lance, "They look like a cute couple." 

Keith breathed an audible sigh of relief. "They are." He said, "But my brother is taking flight exams at the moment, so they hardly see each other." 

 _Shut up_ , Keith thought,  _why would Lance care about any of this?_

But apparently he did. Lance asked Keith questions about his life all the way back. 

"How old is your brother? You guys don't look related much." 

"Yeah, he's Japanese. We're not technically blood related. He's 26." 

"Do you have any other pets?" 

"No." 

"Any other siblings? I got siblings coming out my ears, man..." 

"No, I don't. It's just me and Shiro."  

Lance keyed his number into Keith's phone at lightning speed as the train rolled up at his station. He leapt off with a, "Later, Keith!" and the doors shut. Again.

"Later, Lance." Keith said to himself, shell-shocked by the entire journey. Moments later, he received a text message. 

_**Unknown:** Guess who? ;) _

Smiling, Keith saved Lance's number, realising the nervousness in his stomach had transformed into something warm and comforting. There was no going back from this feeling. Whatever happened now, it was do or die. 

Day 16

Today, Lance got the early train with Keith again. They talked about Nintendo games. On the way back, Lance showed Keith pictures of his nephews, one of whom was new born. Today Keith learned that Lance was Cuban.

Wild. 

Day 17

 **_Lance:_ ** _Dude. I'm late. ADHSJAFDJASK_

_**Keith:**  ADHSJAFDJASK? Is that an abbreviation of some kind? And me too. See you on the train. _

**_Lance:_ ** _Are you KIDDING?! I was key-smashing. You never do that?_

 **_Keith:_ ** _No?_

 ** _Lance:_ ** _Just me then! I can see the back of your head. Lol. Turn around._

Keith turned to find Lance waving at him through the train window before the doors had opened. He smirked. Lance was shameless. He was incredible. Something in the back of Keith's mind was pulling him away. A voice that said  _he won't like you that way_. But for now, Keith ignored it. For now, this was enough. He was enough. Just him. 


	5. Remedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it takes so long to update these chapters! University is about to start for me so it may take a while longer but I still want to write in my free time and I promise this will get finished :) enjoy! xx *uploading this before I go to bed :P*

Day 18

Keith was sick.

There was nothing he hated more than being sick. At the best of times, he despised it. But being sick now meant he was missing today's chance to see one of his few reasons to be happy. 

It was 8am.

"I-I can go. I can make it." Keith groaned as Shiro brought him hot vegetable soup. 

Shiro gave him a skeptical look. "And kill yourself in the process? I don't think so. I'm sure no one else will thank you for being a walking disease either." 

Keith tutted, but he couldn't disagree with his brother. Getting out of bed was difficult enough. His limbs ached and his throat was sore as hell.

"Thanks." He said dryly. 

Shiro slapped a cloth against Keith's steaming forehead. 

"That should do it," He said, pleased, "call me if you need anything."

"You're terrible at this. Adam would be a way better nurse."

"Want me to call him over to baby you?" Shiro teased. 

"Don't you dare. Though I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing  _you_." 

Shiro rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "You didn't make this yourself, did you?" Keith asked as he sniffed the bowl of soup. 

"Are you crazy?" Shiro called from down the hallway. "I don't want to finish you off. Drink up, doofus." 

Keith sighed and took a sip. He wished he could taste it, but his nose was blocked. He coughed. His phone lit-up at the incoming of a notification. 

Keith's stomach leapt and for a second he was sure his tired limbs had enough energy to fly out the window. But it wasn't Lance. It was just his professor confirming Keith's absence. 

As Keith tapped out another apology email, a text appeared at the top of his screen. His heart stopped.

 **_Lance:_ ** _Hey, man. You okay?_

Keith stared at the text, abandoning his email, his fingers hovering the keyboard. 

He licked his lips.

 **_Keith:_ ** _I'm good, don't worry. Just really sick. College flu I think._

Lance's reply was instantaneous. 

 **_Lance:_ ** _What's your address?_

Keith paused. Huh? Why in the hell did Lance want his address? His fevered brain provided him with the bizarre and unbidden image of Lance turning up to his door with flowers and a  _'Get Well Soon'_ card. He shook his head free, muttering obscenities at himself under his breath. It wouldn't do any harm, right? Maybe he was just figuring out how far Keith had to walk to the station. It was a good fifteen minutes. Their apartment was _off the beaten track_ as Shiro often reminded him.

He texted Lance his address and waited for a reply. But the replies stopped. It was weird. He hadn’t exactly waited long to respond...

Keith resent the text shamelessly - just in case. Maybe the signal was bad.

Keith squirmed uncomfortably in his bed, taking long slurps from his now luke-warm soup. It was possible that Lance was in college by now and was too busy to look at his phone, but still... Keith's stomach turned and flipped all day. He couldn't tell whether it was from the fever or Lance's ominous silence. Around 2pm, Keith fell asleep, his Nintendo DS falling open on his lap, paused on Zelda. 

His dreams were fatigued and delirious. During one, he was trapped in a 1920's nightclub, surrounded by zoo animals. The animals appeared to be sentient, and none of them took any notice of Keith.

 _"Keith..."_ A Zebra was saying. The Zebra was dressed in a glittering flapper dress, lapping milk elegantly from a bowl it held in it's hooves.  _"Yo,"_ It continued in a low voice, _"Keith, there's someone here to see you."_

Keith flapped his arms as the air got suffocating. He was hot, he wanted to get out... the Zebra was shaking him...

"Get off me, stupid animal..." Keith grumbled as he opened his eyes blearily. Oh. He wasn't in a nightclub after all, but his own bedroom, his sheets damp with sweat, hugged close around him. He blinked, sitting upright, and found Shiro's hand on his shoulder.

"Animal?" Shiro scoffed, affronted. "That's a new one."

Embarrassed, Keith sniffed, rubbing his running nose. "I didn't mean y- ugh, never mind. What's up?" 

Shiro smirked. Keith didn't like that face. He tensed. "Shiro?" 

"There's someone here for you." Said Shiro simply. "Says he's a friend of yours."

_Lance. It had to be him._

Keith swallowed thickly, his throat swollen. "T-Tell him I'm not here." 

Shiro's smirk widened. "Too late. He's in the hallway. I'm letting him in." He cocked a brow, "I didn't know you had so many friends, Keith." 

Keith scowled. "Shut up. No, wait, just..."

Shiro stopped at the door. Keith was about to ask him to send Lance home for real. But that would be cruel. Lance had come all this way... but what for?  _If_ it was Lance. 

He sighed. "N-nothing." 

Shiro left, and as he did, Keith scrambled upright, awkwardly flattening his damp hair and dragging his covers up to his chest. He had seconds. The figure that replaced Shiro's in the doorway was lean and swathed in a thick coat and a blue scarf, the tip of his snub nose pink from the cold air he'd come from. 

"Hey," Said Lance softly, his mouth lifting into a comfortable smile that fit his poignant features all too well as he laid eyes on Keith.

Feeling horribly exposed, Keith drew his knees up to his chest, looking up from Lance from under his hair and his eyelashes. 

"Oh, h-hi." He stammered awkwardly, still catching his breath from the shock of seeing the object of his recent desires and the effort of trying not to look like a corpse. He wasn't doing well so far.

"Jeez," Said Lance with a little laugh, "You sound, like... really bad."

Keith tried to speak, but a coughing fit presented itself instead. As Keith hacked his lungs out into his sheets, Lance hovered between the door and the bed, clearly at a loss. When the coughing died, he tried,

"Uh... you good?"

"Yeah," Keith croaked, "Fine." And then, because he couldn't help it, "You  _really_ didn't have to come here to check up on me." 

Lance blinked twice in rapid succession. "'Course I did, man." He shrugged off his backpack, pulling out a plastic tub. "They were selling donuts and waffles on campus today. It was a one time thing. I couldn't let you miss out." 

Keith stared. Was this happening? Was this another fever dream? He searched the corners of his room for signs of Zebras or oddly placed dishes of milk. There was nothing dream-like. Just this. This one strange thing that truly could not be real because Keith's already exhausted mind was going into overdrive.

At Keith's lack of response, Lance faltered.

"W-would you like me to go? Am I intruding?" He stammered, angling toward the door.

"No!" Keith rasped out. Too quickly. Too desperately. He attempted a smile, "I'm just a little slow today. Thanks, Lance. I just... I dunno what to say." 

Lance's shoulders relaxed. "Good. 'Cause I elbowed my way to the front of the queue to get these bad boys." He said, shaking the box proudly like it was maracas or something. How could someone be so lame but so endearing all at once? 

Now Keith's smile was genuine. "No one's ever brought me donuts in bed before."

Lance strode further into the room, closing the space between them. 

Keith held up a hand. 

"Whoah, this is a quarantine zone. I don't want you to get my diseases."

Lance shrugged, sitting cross-legged on the floor by Keith's bed as he cracked open the lid. "I don't get ill." He said confidently. 

Keith frowned. "Everyone gets ill. I mean,  _I_ hardly ever do. My current situation may suggest otherwise, but this is seriously bad. If I got it, you'll definitely get it." 

Lance smiled at him from the floor. A sunbeam smile. Keith felt weak again. 

"Nah." He reaffirmed. "I'm immune." He held out a golden-glazed donut smothered in pink icing and sprinkles. "This is the best one. I saved it for you."

Keith took it gingerly, their fingers brushing as he did. Keith hoped Lance had done that on purpose, but he  _did_ have very long fingers. It would be easy to do that on accident. Even so, he stared at Lance's hands as he himself retrieved a cupcake sprinkled with edible silver sugar dust. 

How was he so casual about this? Who turned up to someone's house they barely knew with a box of cakes and donuts?  _Who did that?_

Lance was getting crumbs everywhere, gathering them in his lap like the catch of the day. His legs were long, too. 

He looked up, catching Keith staring. Thank god for the fever. His blushes could be mistaken for flu symptoms.

"'On't 'ou 'ike 'i?" Lance mumbled, his mouth full of cake. 

Keith snorted, and regretted it. Not a good move for someone oozing snot like a fricking hose. He brought his hand to his face, rubbing his nose aggressively again. 

Lance grimaced. "Ew." He managed, the irony of the statement intensified when more crumbs fell from his mouth. 

"You're just as gross as I am." Keith countered, taking a bite into the donut. Maybe the sticky dough wouldn't be the best thing for his flu, but the taste was glorious. Perhaps it was the fact that Lance had brought it for him that made it taste so good.

Lance swallowed the whole thing in one, wincing as the cake got stuck in his throat a little. "Yeah? I take pride in it."

"Then why were you criticizing me!" Keith tried to raise his voice, but the flu turned it into a wheezy rasp instead. 

"Because I can." 

"I can't believe you just came here to torment me." 

"Nah," Said Lance, suddenly finding Keith's bare floorboards extremely fascinating. "I owed you one." 

Keith frowned. He wasn't expecting that. 

"For what?" 

Lance glanced up at him, his blue eyes intense. "For that thing you did for me on the train." 

"Oh," Said Keith quietly. So that's what this was. Repayment. He sucked in a dry breath, picking at the remaining chunk of donut. "You didn't owe me anything." 

"I know, but I like you, man. You're cool." 

_I like you._

Keith wasn't stupid. He knew Lance's 'like' wasn't the same as his 'like.' But it still sent a thrill through him like electricity. 

"Well," Said Keith, sitting straight-backed and eyeing Lance levelly, "I like you too." 

He didn't have to know what that meant. It was up to Lance how he saw his 'like', and for a moment Keith was worried he'd seen right through him in the silence of eye-contact that followed. But then Lance burst into high pitched laughter. 

"Yo, why was that so serious? We're suck dorks. Maybe I  _am_ getting sick." He continued to laugh, and Keith couldn't help but join in a little. Even if he was sad that Lance didn't see him the same way, it didn't matter, did it? He'd known this would happen all along. Even so, he felt a tiny hopeful part of him whither. The part of him that had barely existed in the first place. They were friends. Surely that was good enough. For now, Keith forced himself to be content. Obsession was not an option. Not with Lance. He was too good to lose over some dumb crush. Keith wasn't going down that road again. 

"Hey," Said Keith after they'd talked some more, "isn't the donut stand open twice a week?" 

Lance opened and closed his mouth. "Is it?" He said finally, "I thought - I thought this was a one time thing." 

Keith shook his head. "You're a sucky liar." 

Lance pouted. "Don't go feeling special. I got some for my sister, too. It's her birthday tomorrow." 

Keith gave him a disdainful glance. " _That's_ gonna be your present to her? Some soggy, day-old donuts?" 

"Of course not!" Lance flared, "I got her a flute, actually."

Keith didn't have a comeback. That was a pretty cool gift. Even if it was a little unusual. 

Night fell outside along with the beginnings of light snow. It felt like time was still in Keith's tiny bedroom with Lance. They talked and talked, and Keith didn't care that his throat hurt. He was actually starting to feel a lot better. It wasn't until Shiro poked his head around the door to pointedly remind Keith that he needed his rest that Lance got up to leave.

"I really outstayed my welcome, huh?" He said sheepishly as Shiro retreated. 

He smiled. "'Course not. You alleviated my boredom." 

"Great. Nice to know my efforts payed off, your highness." He replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. But it was the fond kind. Lance shrugged his coat back on and wound his woolly blue scarf around his neck. Keith wished he could walk to the station with him. If he wasn't like this, he would.

"Uh, thanks again for the - the food." Keith said awkwardly as Lance headed toward the door.

"No problem, dude." Said Lance lightly, his eyes glowing. "I guess I'll see you later. Bye, Keith's bro!" He shouted down the hall-way. 

"Bye!" Came Shiro's distant and gleeful reply. Keith huffed a sigh. He'd never hear the end of this. 

With a final wave, Lance left Keith's bedroom and headed out into the cold night. 

As he suspected, Shiro entered Keith's room not five minutes later, questions written all over his face. He'd definitely been listening to all of that. He was too nosy for his own good.

"Not now, Shiro." Keith snapped, snuggling down into bed and pulling the covers over his head.

"So... this  _friend_." Shiro began, ignoring him. 

Keith grunted. "I said not now! Tomorrow! I'll explain tomorrow!" 

Shiro laughed, backing out. "Okay, okay. But you owe me this one. You're gonna spill.  _Everything_." 

His brother was the only one happy about it. Things had worked out for  _him._ He and Adam were a dream - everything a couple should be. It wouldn't be like that for Keith. He was a stuttering mess for starters, and he'd fallen for someone he knew he couldn't have. It sucked. The last thing he wanted to do was tell someone about it, even if it was his brother. Talking about it made it real. Once it was real there was no going back. And he didn't want to lose this. Tonight had been perfect. More perfect than he could have imagined. Lance was a better remedy than any medicine on the market. He didn't want to lose this.

 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is @spaladin for anyone who didn't know! I also have a Ko-Fi so if you like my stuff enough and feel inclined to give a tip to an in-debt student such as myself, I'd be honoured! - link on my tumblr - Thanks for reading! xx


End file.
